


Family Night

by meils121



Category: Leverage
Genre: Cooking, Food, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:40:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26055091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meils121/pseuds/meils121
Summary: Eliot can’t remember when eating Chinese takeout after a job turned into occasional team dinners, or when those team dinners turned into regularly-scheduled ‘family nights’, as Parker dubbed them one night.  He supposes it doesn’t quite matter when the family nights started.  He enjoys them all the same.
Relationships: Sophie Devereaux/Nathan Ford
Comments: 1
Kudos: 50
Collections: The Leverage Exchange Master Collection





	Family Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [farkenshnoffingottom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/farkenshnoffingottom/gifts).



Eliot can’t remember when eating Chinese takeout after a job turned into occasional team dinners, or when those team dinners turned into regularly-scheduled ‘family nights’, as Parker dubbed them one night. He supposes it doesn’t quite matter when the family nights started. He enjoys them all the same.

Now that Nate and Sophie are doing their own thing, family nights don’t happen quite as often as they used to. This particular night has been on their calendar for three months. Nate and Sophie’s flight - London to Boston to Detroit to Portland - is landing any minute. Hardison is waiting for them at the airport. There’s a roast in the oven and a cake waiting to be frosted on the counter. Even though it’s only November fourth, Parker has Christmas music playing, the cheerful notes of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ drifting into the kitchen from the living room. Eliot catches himself humming along as he sets to work whipping up frosting. 

Nate and Sophie have been on an extended honeymoon, travelling Europe and pulling the occasional job just to keep things interesting. Eliot hasn’t seen them since the wedding. It’s been a hard adjustment for all of them. They’d been working together as a team for so long that it feels like a limb is missing. Even after all these months, they are still getting used to pulling jobs just the three of them. 

It will be good to have everyone back in one place. Eliot’s instincts still go a bit haywire sometimes, thinking that he’s missing someone he’s supposed to be protecting. He’s looking forward to having everyone sitting around the table again. 

Family nights are special. They’re a time for them to reconnect and bond and laugh. Sometimes, in their line of work, they don’t get enough of those moments. Other times, it’s good just to revel in the feeling of a job well done and a happy client and another bad guy behind bars.   
Eliot finishes the frosting - salted caramel, at Sophie’s request, for a dark chocolate cake with ganache filling. He’s barely finished frosting the cake when Parker pops up next to him and grabs the mixing bowl and a spoon. 

“I like this one.” She says, waving the spoon. “It’s yummy.”

Eliot rolls his eyes fondly. “You like anything sweet. Hardison’s gonna be jealous you got to lick the bowl.” He says. “Can you help me set the table?”

Parker takes another spoonful of frosting and starts grabbing silverware. Eliot briefly debates which tablecloth - because ambiance is part of the experience of food, thank you very much - before choosing a gold one and heading for the dining room. With ‘Last Christmas’ (the Wham! version, which is the only one that Parker and Sophie will listen to) playing in the background, Eliot teaches Parker how to fold the napkins so they look like flowers. It takes a while, but this is the sort of quiet moment that Eliot cherishes so much. He likes spending time with his team - his family. He likes spending time not worrying about greedy businessmen or corrupt politicians. 

Planning future jobs is firmly banned at family nights. These dinners are reserved for sharing memories and laughter and getting way too competitive over hours-long games of Monopoly or whatever new nerdy board game Hardison has found. (Actually, Eliot enjoys Settlers of Catan, but he’s never going to tell Hardison that...and that one with the railroads isn’t all that bad either). 

They’ve barely finished setting the table when the door opens and Sophie enters with her typical flair. Parker flings herself at Sophie. Nate enters next, followed by Hardison, both of them weighed down by bags. Nate offers Eliot a quick hug before Parker launches herself at him, and soon Sophie’s hugging Eliot. 

“It’s so wonderful to see you.” She says. She’s tan (three weeks spent in Greece, apparently) and absolutely beaming. Actually, Nate’s beaming too, and it’s good to see him (both of them, but especially him) so happy. They look - rested and happy and relaxed. It’s a good look for both of them.

Parker, predictably, hones in on the giant bag of gifts that the couple brought. “It’s like Christmas came early!” She cheers. Sophie pulls out a small gift - “To tide you over until after dinner” - and takes a deep breath. 

“Smells like home.” She says. “When’s dinner?”  
“Whenever you all sit down.” Eliot grouses, though he has a smile on his face. “Come on, let’s eat while it’s still hot.”

It takes a few more minutes, but eventually all five of them are settled around the dining table. Hardison lights the candles as Eliot brings over the roast. Soon, the room is filled with chatter and laughter as Sophie regales them with tales of their train trip through Europe, Nate interjecting every so often to point out that it wasn’t quite a job, persae, but more of an opportunity to con a truly awful fellow traveler who just so happened to be the CEO of a corporation that’s been on Nate’s list for years. Hardison complains that it’s not fair the rest of them weren’t there for the whole thing, and Nate promises that the next job, he wants the whole team to join back up.

That’s the nice thing, Eliot thinks. They’re always going to be a team. A family. They’ve got a bond that will last across continents and through absolutely anything. And if Nate really thinks the next job should be a corrupt casino owner in Monaco, well, Eliot’s got his passport (actually, he’s got seventeen of them, and that’s not counting his secret, time-to-disappear stash) ready. 

Sophie leans in and rests her head on Eliot's shoulder as the conversation continues around them. “Thanks, Eliot.” She says softly. “It’s good to have the family back together.”

Eliot couldn’t agree more.


End file.
